Welcome to District 13
by JavisTG
Summary: Katniss ran through the crowded hallway with Haymitch at her heels. The older man's forehead was covered in sweat but his eyes were sparkling and a happy smile danced on his lips. She couldn't remember a time when she'd seen him smile like this. He must have read the questioning look in her eyes. "The boy's back" he explained.


Written for Prompts in Panem, dreamscape week, March/April 2015. Day 2: Rats (or Everlark battling with betrayal or illness).

Beautiful banner by the awesome AlwaysEverlark.

XXXXX

Katniss ran through the crowded hallway with Haymitch at her heels.

The big board by the nurse's station stated that Peeta had been assigned to the room at the far end of the corridor.

She grabbed her mentor's hand and she ran, as fast as she could, towards it.

Right before reaching the room, she stopped for an instant and turned around to look at her mentor's face.

The older man's forehead was covered in sweat, but his eyes sparkled and a happy smile danced on his lips. She couldn't remember a time when she'd seen him this happy.

Reading the questioning look in her eyes, he explained, "The boy's back."

Katniss nodded in understanding and smiled. Letting go of her mentor's hand; she turned towards the door and pushed.

The door swung open and Katniss rushed over to Peeta's bedside.

Two nurses were standing next to him; they were talking in hushed voices while looking over a chart, they silently moved away from the bed to grant her access.

There he was, lying unconscious on a hospital bed. He looked so pale, so helpless. There was a nasty cut on his lower lip and his left eyelid was swollen and had a purplish hue. His blond curls were dirty and matted on his forehead.

She reached out and delicately brushed the back of her hand across his cheek, his skin was as soft as she remembered but she was surprised at how cold he was. She leaned over and softly pressed her lips to his temple, "you're safe" she whispered, "you're safe".

Relief washed over her and she gave into it. Tears welled behind her eyes as a smile turned up her lips.

She longed to hold him close, to climb into bed and wrap her arms around him; to share her warmth with him and never let go.

She was about to follow her instincts, when she was startled by a voice.

"Miss Everdeen, may I talk to you for a moment?"

Reluctantly, she turned around to look at the thin man standing by the doorway.

He was wearing the same white coat that all doctors in the district wore, she vaguely remembered seeing him around during her days in the medical facilities.

"I'm dr. Cole," he said, "I have been assigned to Mr. Mellark's case. I'd like to have a word with you in my office, if that's alright."

"Yes... I... I just want to be here when he wakes up," she replied.

Her right hand moved instinctively along Peeta's arm, searching for his outstretched fingers, she laced them with hers.

"Don't worry, miss Everdeen, he won't be waking up any time soon."

Instantly, her whole body tensed up.

"Why? What's happened to him?" She could feel anxiety radiating from her. She took a deep breath trying to recover the sense of wellbeing she'd felt just moments before.

She didn't succeed.

"Relax, miss Everdeen, he's alright. We just administered a fresh dose of morphling into his system. He needs to rest, and the nurses need to clean up his wounds. If you could just come with me to my office I'll explain everything."

A quick glance in Haymitch's direction told her that her mentor wasn't going anywhere.

With a small nod he reassured her of his intentions. She knew she could trust him to keep an eye on Peeta.

She took one last look into the sleeping boy's beautiful face. Reluctantly, she let go of his hand and followed the doctor out of the room.

XXXXX

"Miss Everdeen, please take a seat," dr. Cole gestured to the empty chair across his desk as he sat down facing her.

"First of all, let me assure you that Mr. Mellark's condition is stable and that the morphling shots we administered are nothing more than a temporary treatment." The doctor paused, allowing understanding to sink in and relief to flood her.

Peeta was safe, he was here, by her side, and he was being cared for.

"Why did you give him the medicine then?" she asked.

"Well, we already knew that some of the victors held in captivity were being… mistreated," _mistreated_, such a mild word to describe torture, Katniss thought.

The doctor went on, "so we decided to send a medical team along with the rescue squad. As you know, the victors were sedated when the squad lifted them for their holding cells."

She nodded, she didn't know much about the rescue but she wasn't about to admit that to this man.

The doctor went on to explain how the rescue team had found a couple of clipboards with some charts hanging from Peeta's bed in the Capitol.

"Commander Boggs had the foresight to bring them along and the medical team reviewed them immediately," he added, "Thanks to these charts we know that during the last week Mr. Mellark's keepers had been injecting him with tracker jacker poison. We believe that the first doses were injected before his last televised interview."

Her mind was spinning. The thought of tracker jacker poison running through Peeta's veins made her nauseous.

She remembered Peeta's last performance, and she knew the doctor was right. This explained his behavior in front of the cameras. How he seemed to be lost and couldn't focus on anything.

The doctor went on, "They were most likely trying to disorient him. According to the file, they kept having problems with the dosage. It seems that Mr. Mellark developed a resistance to the poison after surviving the tracker jacker attack in his first arena."

"Is he still under the effect of the poison?"

"Yes, the medical team on board the hovercraft ran a couple of tests and the results were conclusive. At present, Mr. Mellark's system is flooded with it."

A cold chill ran along her back.

"That's why we've kept him under sedation. We have injected him with morphling to counteract the poison's effect on his nervous system, and we've also added a repairing serum that will boost his metabolism and help rid his body of the toxin."

Katniss nodded in understanding. "So, what happens now?" she asked.

"Now… we wait. It will probably take a couple of days for the treatment to work. The medical team also discovered two broken ribs along with all the other scratches and bruises that you've no doubt noticed by now. This rest will also help the healing process of those wounds."

Angry tears itched to escape her eyes. She had thought he looked battered and weak, but this was too much to take.

She knew what the effects of the poison were, hallucinations, confusion, and terror and, to top it all off: pain.

Why had it taken so long for her to figure out what was happening? She should've gotten him out sooner. _At least he's here now_, she reminded herself. _I won't let anything else happen to him. I can protect him and keep him safe_, she thought.

"There's one more thing" doctor Cole's soothing voice cut through her thoughts. "I haven't had much time to analyze the information on the charts. But what I've seen so far leads me to believe that the poison injections were only one part of a more complex… treatment."

"Treatment? What do you mean?"

"Like I said, I'm not sure yet. But it seems that what Mr. Mellark's captors were trying to do goes beyond scaring and disorienting him. Some of the records on the charts show that along with the venom shots Mr. Mellark was exposed to certain audio-visual stimuli. From what I can gather, most of these where recorded scenes that involved you."

"Me?"

"Yes miss Everdeen, I believe they were using the poison and the images to turn him against you."

Her pulse was racing, she couldn't breathe. The whole room was spinning around her and she couldn't stop it. It was like being back in the arena, mutts were chasing her, her lungs were about to explode, and her legs were ready to give in. But she couldn't stop. She couldn't let them win. She had to keep on running. She had to reach a safe place; she had to reach Peeta.

Stop.

Peeta.

_He's down the hall_, she thought. _He's battered and bruised. He's been poisoned but he's being treated. He's safe_. Safe. The thought calmed her racing heart.

"Are you alright, miss Everdeen?" Dr. Cole asked.

She nodded.

"So, what does this mean?" she asked.

"It means we have to be patient. Like I said before he'll have to stay sedated for the next couple of days. While he sleeps, I'll study his chart. The truth is that we won't be able to determine the exact state of his mind until he wakes up. Once he does, we'll run a few tests, and we'll determine the best course of action." The doctor paused for a second, once again allowing the information to sink in. "Do you have any questions?" he asked.

"Can I stay with him… while he's asleep… I want to stay with him."

"Yes, as long as you don't interfere with the nurse's activities, you may stay with him until he wakes up."

"Thank you doctor."

As she made her way back to Peeta's room, she tried to organize her thoughts.

Once again, things weren't what they seemed. One look at Peeta's sleeping form told her he'd been mistreated, that's what the doctor had called it, right? Mistreated. But his peaceful sleeping form didn't betray the horrors that she knew were probably playing out inside his head.

The truth was that these people knew nothing. They didn't know about the nightmares and the gut wrenching fear victors felt every time they closed their eyes, or about the loneliness and despair they experienced every time they woke up. But she did, and she was going to try her best to reach into Peeta's mind, she was going to try to comfort him.

XXXXX

Peeta opened his eyes, the bright light blinded him. He blinked a few times, forcing his eyes to adjust to the brightness of the room.

Slowly, he took in his surroundings. The bare walls enclosing him were painted a light grey; there were no windows that he could see. No natural source of light or air.

There was a soft, constant beeping sound to his right, as he turned towards it he felt the stiffness of his limbs. He couldn't remember the last time he'd moved.

His head felt heavy, his mind was muddled and his tongue was thick and dry inside his mouth. As much as he tried, he didn't recognize this place.

The sleeping form lying by his side startled him.

The girl was small. She was lying on her side, facing him.

She looked so peaceful. Her arm was carelessly wrapped around his ribcage, and her long, dark hair was plaited in a loose braid that rested over her shoulder.

He stared at her for a couple of minutes, trying to figure out who she was, but nothing about her seemed familiar.

She was wearing something that looked a lot like a uniform, gray, ill fitting.

He gently brushed his fingers along her sleeve and wrinkled his nose at the roughness of the fabric.

Once again he wondered where he was, the room provided no clues and his brain still wasn't cooperating very much.

He felt her stir and froze. He knew his own movements had probably awakened her.

He watched as she lazily stretched her arms, her small hand brushed past his cheek.

He held his breath and tried not to move.

Startled by the contact with his face, she immediately pulled her arms back down and placed her hands above her chest.

She looked up, her gaze fell on his face.

He locked eyes with her. The warmth he found in her grey eyes took his breath away.

She seemed happy to see him. A wide smile took over her face.

"Peeta!" she said. Her clear voice bounced off the empty walls.

She turned to him and threw her arms around his neck. He felt her tremble as she held him close, tightening her hold on him. The warmth of her breath on his neck spread throughout his body. She was so close to him that he could feel her heart pounding madly against his own chest.

He hadn't expected her reaction and he didn't know what to do, so he took a deep breath and stood still.

Surprised by his reaction, she pulled away slightly. Confusion, and something that looked a lot like hurt, registered on the girl's face as she took in the guarded look in Peeta's eyes and the stiffness of his stance.

She knew something was wrong.

"Peeta?" she asked in a shaky voice.

His eyes darted from her face towards the doorway; there was nobody there. They were all alone in this cold, gray room.

"I'm… sorry," he started hesitantly. "Who… Where?" He shook his head trying to clear his muddled mind. "I… don't understand what's going on. What… where are we? Who… who are you?"

"Peeta!" she gasped. Her eyes widened and he could see them turning glassy with the unshed tears she was clearly trying to control.

He frowned.

He was confused. A million questions bounced around inside his head. One of them though, seemed more important than the rest. "Peeta?" he asked. "Is… that my name?"

The girl completely backed away from him, she didn't stand up from the bed, though.

"Yes," she added, nodding vigorously. "That's you. Peeta. Peeta Mellark." She watched him closely as he processed the information. "Don't you know?" she asked, "Don't you remember?"

A cold sweat spread throughout his entire body. All the warmth he'd absorbed from the girl's tight embrace had left him and he started shivering.

"Hmm, no. My head feels numb and… why is it so bright in here?" he asked, squinting as he rubbed his temples, and tried to get his mind to focus.

"Hmm, I don't know. I can try to dim the lights if you want," she said gesturing to a light switch on the wall.

"Yeah, thanks. That might help."

His eyes followed her as she walked towards the knob, when she turned it the light softened. He sighed in relief.

"Better?" she asked from her place by the doorway.

"Mm-hmm."

He looked at her once more, standing anxiously by the entrance to the room. She looked tense, like she was trying really hard to get a grip on her emotions. But her eyes betrayed her, though. They had darkened and he could see they were drowning in worry.

He felt bad for her. He didn't know who she was, but he knew that the look in her eyes was all his doing. She'd seemed so happy just a few moments ago.

He closed his eyes and took another deep breath in an attempt to calm his racing mind; maybe, if he relaxed, his brain would start working again. He felt his heartbeat slow down and he stopped shivering, but his questions remained unanswered.

Slowly, he opened up his eyes and looked around, the room was still gray.

He started, surprised to find the girl sitting by his bedside. Her hands were on her lap and she kept fiddling with her thumbs.

He let out a surprised chuckle. "I didn't hear you walk back."

Shyly, she smiled. "I have a quiet tread," she admitted.

Now that the lights had been dimmed, and that she wasn't resting against him, he was able to see how pretty she was.

Her features were delicate and, even though her eyelids were turned down, he already knew that those gray eyes of hers were something special.

His eyes landed on her mouth, and he caught himself wondering what it would be like to kiss her rosy lips.

Her olive skin looked pale, though, and the dark circles under her eyes worried him. Why had she been sleeping next to him, he wondered.

He had so many questions. He didn't even know where to begin. But, in the middle of all this confusion, he felt certain of one thing, he wasn't alone. Whoever she was, she was here, and she cared for him. Her actions so far told him so.

The notion made him smile.

"So," he began, "I'm Peeta… Mellark?"

She nodded.

"And you're…" he raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Katniss," she said, emphasizing the "s" sound at the end of her name. "Katniss Everdeen."

He smiled. "Nice to meet you, Katniss."

She let out a soft sigh and asked, "You really don't remember anything, do you?"

With a heavy breath, he admitted, "Nope, my head feels fuzzy and empty." He paused and looked around the room once more. "Nothing looks familiar. Where are we?"

"District 13," she answered promptly, "You've never been here before, though."

That would certainly explain the lack of familiarity.

"It's pretty glum," he said, looking around at the ocean of grey surrounding them.

She snorted in amusement. "Of course you'd think that," she muttered, almost to herself.

"Yeah? Why is that?"

"Hmm, because you have an eye for beauty," she said, as her eyes settled on his.

"I do?" he countered, intrigued by her assessment of him.

"Yeah, you…hmm, you're an artist."

"An artist?"

Surprise must have been written all over his face, because she smiled lightly and continued with a determined nod.

"Mm-hmm, a painter. You paint beautiful things. And you decorate the prettiest cakes I've ever seen, with delicate flowers made out of sugar," she added as her smile widened.

"Really?" he asked looking down at his hands, "I do those things?"

She nodded. "You do."

He took a moment to process the information as he examined his hands. His fingers were long, he wiggled them and thought they seemed nimble and strong. There were a few scars on the back of his hands. Some seemed to be the result of superficial scratches, but others were thicker. _Burn marks_, he thought.

He turned back to face her. "What else do I do?"

"Well," she began, leaning forward so that her elbows were resting on top of her knees "you can carry 100 pound sacks of flour".

"What? Why would I want to do that?"

His reaction made her chuckle lightly. "Because you work at a bakery," she supplied.

"Oh! That makes sense, I guess."

He looked into her eyes, the mix of hope and longing he saw there pulled at his heartstrings.

"Katniss?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you here?" he asked softly, "What's our connection?"

She looked away from him. A soft blush colored her cheeks, and she bit her bottom lip, hard.

He thought she was going to draw blood from it.

She was clearly looking for the right words to say, and he wondered what could be so complicated about their relationship that she was having such a hard time answering.

After a couple of minutes, she spoke, "We're friends," she said, looking at him once more. "Good friends," she added.

"Friends," he repeated slowly.

She nodded.

Something told him there was more to it. The question had clearly made her uncomfortable, and he had the feeling that friends didn't usually share each other's beds. What was she keeping from him?

"That's it?" he prodded.

Once again she nodded.

They stared at each other for a while. He could hear every breath they took as the machine by his side kept its regular beat.

Eventually, she broke the silence, "Peeta, you must have a million questions. There's so much you need to know, and I don't even know where to start," she grumbled, as her previous anxiety crept back into her voice.

He couldn't bear to see her struggle, so he suggested, "Well, the beginning would be a good place."

"It's not that easy," she said shaking her head, "there's one thing you should know, though. You're among friends. You're safe here, and I won't let them hurt you ever again." Her eyes shone brightly as she spoke, and he was surprised by the resolve he saw in them.

"Again?" he inquired.

She nodded quietly and stood up to close the distance between them. Cautiously, she reached her hand out to him. He held his palm up to her, and she softly brushed the pads of her fingers across his outstretched palm.

Her finger's delicate dance on his skin made him tingle pleasantly.

"Dr. Cole will be here any minute now," she said, turning towards the doorway. "He'll probably know what to do."

"Do you think he'll be able to explain what's happened to me?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure. But they have a ton of doctors here. I'm hoping one of them will have the answers we need."

The answers _we_ need.

Once again, Peeta felt comforted by the knowledge that he wasn't alone. He wanted to know what had happened, who he was and what had brought him here but, for some reason, the fact that there was someone here to hold his hand made everything a little less scary.

The sound of loud steps walking along the corridor called his attention to the room's entrance.

A thin man walked into the room, he wore a white coat, and clutched a clipboard tightly between his hands. His small green eyes shone with enthusiasm when they landed on Peeta's face.

"Hello there!" the man said cheerfully, his face breaking into a friendly smile. "Good morning, miss Everdeen," he said, turning towards Katniss, "how are you this fine morning?"

"I'm ok," she answered, letting go of Peeta's hand and moving towards the head of the bed to stand next to him. "Peeta," she said, nodding in the doctor's direction, "this is dr. Cole."

"Mr. Mellark," the doctor said as he offered his hand for Peeta to shake "welcome to District 13."

XXXXX

**AN:** I like kudos and comments as much as Katniss likes cheese buns :)

You always make my day when you share them with me. Thanks!

You can also find me on Tumblr. I'm JavisTG over there, come and say hi!


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